An opportunity to comment on a life very full, with room for improvement, and little time to do it.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Why Me?

I feel like crap. About ten days ago, my tongue started to feel funny. It felt like it was coated in wallpaper paste. The next day, while at work, I couldn't figure out why my left contact lens wouldn't stay on my eye. It kept drying out and falling off my eye. That afternoon, I was sitting with NJM and OSG, when they both realized that my left eye was not blinking with my right one. There was a noticeable droop to my face and when I would smile, only the right side of my face went up. OSG knew what it was right away, as he had it a few years ago - Bell's Palsy. I called the doctor and went over to see him right away. He confirmed [Dr.] OSG's diagnosis and put me on steroids and anti-viral medication to deal with my affliction.

I stayed home from work the next day, which was last Friday, and tried to do as little as possible. Other than the left side of my face being inoperative, I felt OK. So I didn't do a lot that day except sit around and watch TV. I passed an uneventful weekend and called the doctor on Monday to make a follow up appointment. I asked when I would see any improvement. He told me that he had seen me early on and that it might get worse before it gets better. Oh joy. This would be when the depression and exhaustion started to set it. And the beginnings of a chest cold. I guess the anti-virals I was on didn't deal with the common cold.

Yesterday, my wife [who I love enormously!] let me sleep in, while she got up with the boys. I didn't get out of bed until 11. We then went off to her sister's for a party with her family. Something I may have referred to on my Facebook status update as "enforced family fun." In my defense, this was a term coined by Mrs. BA's father and I was just using it. I was very much looking forward to the party despite my condition. I even accepted a few good natured needles, in response to my wearing an eye patch (as I can't close my left eye), I got a few ARRs from people.

After a wonderful dinner, we moved onto birthday cake. An ice cream cake - one of my favorites. About halfway through my second piece I bit down and crrunnch! Well that's odd I thought to myself, this is ice cream cake - but there are chocolate chips in it, maybe one was just really frozen. I reached into my mouth and pulled out - wait for it . . .

A piece of one of my teeth. I had just been to the dentist on Wednesday. Wednesday! (Parenthetically, the highlight of the week came after the dentist when I went to play nine holes of golf - in the rain, unable to wear my contacts, glasses fogging up, but damn it I was going to play - and managed to shoot my best round 9-hole score ever!) So I cracked a tooth, of course on the right side - not the side that's already numb, no, why be that lucky. So is another root canal in my future or just a crown. Wait until tomorrow kids. I'll keep you posted. But now, I really feel like crawling back into my bed, but then again, there's always something to do to keep me from some more slumber.